DVD review: In Bruges

He is usually as amusing as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

He is usually as amusing as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. But Colin Farrell, much better known for his rough-around-the-edges, ladies’ man image, discovers his funny side in this delightfully dark crime comedy.

Proving he has the timing and the comic chops to create plenty of laughs, this triumphant tale sees him paired up with fellow Dubliner Brendan Gleeson.

They play a couple of hitmen who are sent to Bruges as punishment for a job gone wrong. Ray (Farrell) is gutted to be in boring Belgium, while Ken (Gleeson) is quite happy sightseeing in this “Venice of the north” while waiting for their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) to give them the go-ahead to return home.

So, forced to stomach the Belgian beer and architecture, Ray decides to make his own entertainment, befriending a dwarf with an attitude, and a pretty local whose past is as colourful as his own.

Meanwhile, just when it seems as if the city could be growing on Ray after all, Ken gets orders from Harry that he’d much rather not have to carry out.

The simple but exciting story has moments of laugh-out-loud comedy, punctuated by some really nasty bits.

And the reason the comedy and tragedy sit well together is down to director Martin McDonagh, a first-time feature director who won an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter.

He takes some cheeky chances with certain scenes, and doesn’t really care who he offends in ensuring that the dialogue is cool and naturalistic. But McDonagh’s greatest achievement is in getting the very best out of Farrell and Gleeson – who both seem to understand their respective characters well.

I always expect Gleeson to display depth of emotion and in this he doesn’t disappoint. But I was pleasantly surprised by Farrell, who gave hints that, beneath his macho exterior, there is a somewhat impressive actor dying to get out.

Fiennes is fearsome as the melancholy

Mob boss – even if his accent seems like a blatant imitation of Ben Kingsley’s cockney strains in Sexy Beast. With expertly cast support roles, this emerges as a well thought out, funny thriller.

The decent extras include some deleted and extended scenes, a great gag reel and three featurettes that are well worth a watch.